Unfinished
by Blueninjamanga22
Summary: Sequel for "Stained". It's been twenty-one years since the dragons left their masters, with their children growing up thinking that Gray and Lucy are their parents. The dragons are still visiting them, trying to end the Holy Servants in their mission. But the son of A has come, and A is trying to take his revenge through him. T for language.
1. the Killer's Child

_**I hope you guys like it that I'm writing a sequel for this. I had a lot of help from Luckylifesmile; she's pretty much my co-author in this. I had a lot of help from her, she's amazing, love ya Nee-Chan! **_

_**This fic includes information from the Epilogue of Stained, and it takes place after the events of "Stained". It won't make any sense unless you've read both of those (the epilogue and "Stained") so if you happened to stumble across this, go read Stained first.**_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail. **_

_**~ * ~ * 1 ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ * the Killer's Child ~ * ~ ***_

Oaktown was a quiet place at night, the stars twinkling in a coal black sky, the breeze drifting silently through the air. Katja, a woman with dark blue hair and a small dog on her lap, rested in her living room, reading a book on constellations.

Upstairs, a boy around the age of fifth teen was asleep in his bed. Hair was as black as a raven's wings, yet tinted strangely with blood red. In the lateness of the night, he slept peacefully, the rise and fall of his chest in a calm manner.

And it all stopped in a second.

The boy's eyes darted open, one a dark brown, the other a glowing yellow-gold. In a flash, he sat upwards, clutching at his head. His skull was pounding; he could both hear and fell his heart in his ears as the world began to slow around him.

Howling in pain, he fell to the ground, clutching his forehead. It felt as if something was inside his skull and trying to make its way out of his head from the inside out.

The boy growled as he felt the pain make its way to his back, as a burning sensation came over him. A white-hot pain came over him, as he felt something burning into his back. A design that looked to be of a collection of vines spread over his back, crossing around his shoulders but not going on his arms.

Hearing his screams of pain, Katja ran up stairs, her little dog following her. She shook the doorknob, and when she found it was locked, she proceeded to slam her fist on the door.

"Seth!" Katja yelled "Seth, are you ok? Open this door!"

The boy called Seth gritted his teeth, but still found that he was moaning in pain. He never remembered ever feeling this kind of pain before; it was worse than anything he ever felt before.

_You're ready. _

The voice came to him as if someone was speaking, but he saw no one there. And he didn't recognize the voice; he could easily say that he never heard this man before.

"Who are you?" Seth exclaimed through gritted teeth "Leave me alone!"

"Seth? Are you ok?" Katja exclaimed. Her dog, Nico, started to bark like crazy, and Seth could hear him scratching on the door.

_Listen to me, my son. _

"What's there to listen to? Get out of my head!" Seth exclaimed.

_I am your father, look to me._

Seth looked to his left, and then saw the shadows leap off the wooden floorboards. It began to take shape, one of a man that looked shockingly a lot like him. Except both of his eyes were a certain yellow-gold, his skin much paler. But they had the same black-red hair color, the same handsome face.

"You . . . who are you?" Seth whispered, dragging himself backwards with his hands "Are you an angel?"

_I am Akujin, and I am not an angel. I am a demon. _

Seth's eyes widened "You're . . . you're evil"

_I am a part of you. It is your duty to avenge my death. _

"Who killed you?" Seth asked, feeling the sweat bead down the back of his neck "Why am I an orphan"

_I was trying to rid the world of sin. Then the dragons killed me, them and their masters. They wish to keep this world full of sin and evil. _

"Why would they want that?" Seth asked.

_They are evil. They are unnecessary, unwanted, and sinful. You must avenge me and clean this world of their sins._

"What am I to do," Seth said, his eyes narrowing in hatred for his father's killers "Father?"

_Seek the dragons, and their masters. Kill them, Seth. Kill them all. _

Seth stood up, brushing off his shoulders and gave his father the most serious look he could muster. "Yes, father"

Akujin gave him a look of seriousness, and then he gave his son a ghost of a smile. He began to fall apart, turn back into a shadow, shattering like glass and flying away like dandelion seeds in the wind.

Seth turned, unlocking the door. Nico ran right past him, barking at the place where Akujin used to stand. Katja looked at him with worried eyes, asking the silent question before she even said a word.

"Are you ok? What happened?" Katja asked.

"Nothing, I had a nightmare" Seth said, "I'm fine, now. Goodnight, Katja"

"I—" Katja started, then sighed and called Nico over to her "Goodnight, Seth. I'll see you in the morning"

Seth closed the door behind her, but didn't remove his hand from the door, even after he didn't hear Katja's footsteps anymore. He sighed, thinking of his father's words, and how well Katja had cared for him since the day he was born. She had taken him in when he was an orphan with nowhere to go. But no matter how much he cared for Katja, his duty to his father's memory had to come first, didn't it?

"No, Katja" Seth whispered "You won't"

(^^)-(^^)-(^^)-(^^)-(^^)

Seth had left early that morning, before the sun had even risen that day. He left a note explaining everything, at least everything he wanted her to know, and thanking her for caring for him all these years.

He opened to door only to find something biting on his pants leg. He looked down, seeing Nico with his teeth clamped on the fabric of his pants. Nico looked up to him with sad eyes, pleading for him to stay.

"Sorry, buddy" Seth said, crouching down on his knees to scratch the tiny dog on the head "But I've gotta go. Take good care of Katja for me, ok?"

Nico whimpered in sadness, taking a few steps back and then sitting down, watching Seth walk out the door. Seth sighed, locking the door and walking off, with only a backpack and the clothes on his back.

After walking until noon, Seth took a seat on a nearby park bench. He sighed, taking a glance around. He'd already gone around looking for a job, but it only proved to him that the town of Ōkoku is filled to the brim with assholes.

It seemed hopeless for him; he was fifth teen and an orphaned boy. He'd been called a bastard, pushed around, looked down on, and even had a bucket of water dumped on him. The second they found out he was an inexperienced orphan; he was out on the streets.

His stomach growled, and Seth looked around. He didn't have a coin in his pocket; the only option for him was to steal, rather than starving to death. And that was an option that he was never going to take.

Seth walked down a nearby ally, looking to his right hand. His right hand had a funny little talent he figured out when he was younger, one he hardly ever used. But it was one that could be useful for a time like this.

From each finger, five razor sharp blades came out. Seth often used them as an extension for his hands, like longer fingers. He reached out, the blades working like invisible hands as he grabbed a loaf of bread.

Smirking in triumph, he tossed the bread back to his left hand. He summed his right hand back to normal as he bit a piece out of the bread.

"Hey!" a Rune Knight exclaimed, pointing at Seth "You didn't pay for that"

_Oh, shit_. Seth thought, then did want instinct told him to do. He turned on his heels and ran, darting down the nearest alleyway. He could hear the thundering footsteps behind him, and the sounds of horse's hoofs against the stone floor.

Seth picked up speed, trying to outrun them. He didn't look like it, but he was very fast. Yet, he didn't know if he could outrun a horse and six rune knights.

He took a turn down one alley, and ran straight into someone. At least, he thought it was a some_one_. It felt like an iron bar, just as tough and just as cold.

Seth rubbed his head, looking up at whoever he ran in. Instantly, Seth felt himself get filled with icy fear. The man was about six or seven feet tall; covered in piercing and his black hair spiked up. He was covered in iron, in both his skin and his clothing.

"What do you want?" the man asked "Who are you"

"I—I—I—" Seth spluttered "M-My name is S-Seth"

"Seth _what_?" A woman standing behind him asked. She was much smaller than him, at five foot her head ended at his shoulder. Her hair was white as snow, her skin almost as pale, and her eyes an icy blue. Even though she looked less intimidating than the man, she gave the aura of being taller and of being scary.

"S-Seth Milkovich . . ." Seth muttered, turning his head as he heard the footsteps of the rune knights.

"He went this way!" a knight called.

"P-please, you've gotta help me!" Seth exclaimed.

"Why?" the woman asked.

"B-because . . . because . . ." Seth muttered.

"Are you two bullying civilians again?" a man asked. He was taller than the woman, but shorter than the scary-looking-man. He had abnormal, bubblegum pink hair and onyx colored eyes. He looked Seth up and down, studying him.

"Not a civilian, a thief," the woman said with cold eyes "And a traveler, by the looks of it"

"I . . . I had no choice!" Seth exclaimed in self-defense "I'm an orphan, I don't have any money and nobody will hire me because of it! It's impossible to do anything here and I have to eat!"

Seth didn't know it, but the pink-haired man looked at him and saw an image of what he used to be. An orphaned boy, scared and alone, with nowhere to go and nobody who cares enough to do anything about it. And stolen bread, like the day he met Lucy, running off just to keep himself alive.

"Let's help him," the pink-haired man said.

"Natsu!" the woman hissed.

"He's a thief" the man snapped.

"Look at him! He's an orphan will nowhere to go," Natsu said, then whispered to them "Look, I was doing was he's doing before Lucy found me. I turned out fine"

"Barely," the woman scoffed.

"Then we can save him!" Natsu snapped.

The man sighed, then turned to Seth, who hadn't moved an inch during their conversation "C'mon, kid, follow us"

"Thank you!" Seth exclaimed "Thank you so much—"

"Yeah, yeah, let's get to the cart" the woman rolled her eyes. Seth followed, gave a little noise of pain, a hand going to his head. It could easily have been mistaken for a head ache, but the voice in his head made it clear to Seth what this really was.

_Perfect, Seth, perfect. You're making me very proud. _

Seth's eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks, but only for a moment as he took off running when he heard the Rune Knight's footsteps again. Natsu gave him a weird look, one that was almost worried.

"Seth?" he asked "Are you ok?"

Seth thought for a moment, and then said "I'm . . . perfect"

＼( ^o)( ^ 0 ^ )(o^ )／

_**And there's chapter one. Hope you guys are happy that I'm making a sequel. :b **_

_**Like it, Love it, Hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!,**_

_**Ninja **_


	2. the Memories I've Missed

_**Hey, thanks for everything! I think I should add that in one chapter, "Unfinished" got 21 reviews, and that's the biggest amount of reviews I've ever gotten on a first chapter. That's more reviews in one chapter then some of my other one-shots and stories I've made. Thanks so much for all the support! **_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail. **_

_**~ * ~ * 2 ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ * the Memories I've Missed ~ * ~ ***_

"Summer, chew with your mouth closed," Lucy looked at her daughter with a glare of daggers, not necessarily intimidating, but the scariest thing on the planet. Summer cringed, clamping her mouth shut and smoothening down her blonde hair, just for a few extra points.

"Yes, mother," Summer said, but couldn't help playing with her food.

"Afraid of our own mother, I see?" Koran smirked, glancing up from his book and his glasses.

"Koran, don't read at the table," Lucy said.

"Yes, mother" Koran said quickly, throwing his book over his shoulder and tucking his reading glasses into his pocket. Summer burst out laughing, literally pounding her fist on the table.

"No need to make fun of them, darling," King Gray said with a smirk, holding out his glass for more wine. "Anyway, Kōri-Kun, Su-Chan, Aunt Levy and Uncle Gajeel are going to be coming over for a visit, along with Aunt Erza and Uncle Jellal"

"Aunt Erza is coming over?" Summer exclaimed, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Aunt" Erza was the ex-war general who taught her everything she knew about fighting. Of course, the arrows were because of Cedric Strauss, a knight in the army. But everything else was because of Erza and her pure awesomeness. She was scary, but once you got to know her, you always turn out to love her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! And Aunt Levy?" Koran gave a slight smile, which is the best anybody could expect to get from him any day. He was a quiet, keep-to-himself bookworm. That was the reason he loved Aunt Levy so much, knowledge was just as important to her as it was to him.

"Yes," Lucy smiled "I want you two to be on your best behavior, got it?"

"Aye, sir!" the siblings exclaimed, and then ran off. Koran was exclaiming that he was going to the library; Summer was saying that she was going outside to practice her arrows.

Gray sighed "Did you get a message from Natsu?"

Lucy nodded "And I believe you received one from Kōri?"

A small smile crept onto Gray's face; a genuine smile that he hardly ever bore anymore. Since most of his smiles know were forced or fake or one for his 'children'. He then nodded "Yes. They're . . . they're coming home again, Lucy. I get to see Kōri again . . ."

Lucy did admit that it was cute on how excited he got about getting to see Kōri again. Usually, the down-to-Earth, calm adult got excited by next to nothing. He only got excited when he got a night alone with Juvia or when Kōri came back for a visit.

She only got excited whenever Natsu came over to see her. She loved everything about him, his pink hair, the onyx eyes he gave to Summer, that stupid goofy grin he gave whenever he saw her.

And she was going to see all of that again.

Tonight.

(¬‿¬) (n˘v˘•)¬ ಥ‿ಥ

The moon was high, the time was midnight. Summer was long asleep in her room, Koran was doing some "hard studying" in the palace library. Lucy was waiting at the balcony, staring out into the night, waiting for her dragon to come.

She whisked around when she heard a whistle, only to see Natsu leaned on the back of the wall of her balcony. How he did that, she had yet to figure out. But at this moment, she didn't care.

Lucy ran forward, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. When she looked up to see his face, she could've sworn he hadn't aged a day since she was a princess and he was her bodyguard. To anyone else, that would have been a horrible lie. But who cares about everybody else when you have each other?

Natsu leaned forward, their lips locking in what could have been the world's most perfect kiss. He smiled at her, giving her his signature idiotic and stupid grin.

"So, how've things been around here?" Natsu asked "How is Summer doing?"

"Amazing, actually, to be honest. She turned fifth-teen last month," Lucy said as the two of them stared off into the night sky, overlooking the town of Magnolia. "Summer is amazing with a bow in arrow, and she does this trick were she sets the arrow on fire. I know where she got that one from."

"Heh," Natsu laughed, then smirked "Erza told me she was teaching Summer martial arts when I last saw her. But my first thought back then was 'oh, shit, she's making another Erza'"

"You moron," Lucy smirked, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You call me a moron, and then you do that?" Natsu raised an eyebrow "You're sending me mixed signals here, Love"

_Heh, love . . . _Lucy thought. Ever since he had to leave her, Natsu had been prone to call her nicknames like 'love' and 'sweetheart'. She actually adored it when she called him stuff like that; it made her heart swell with joy.

"It's not exactly an insult, maybe I like morons," Lucy smiled.

"Doesn't everybody love morons?" Natsu asked, "Anyway, how's that son of yours, Koran?"

"He's a little genius, I mean . . . he's a little bookworm," Lucy smiled "And I'm only saying 'little' because he's my son! He's extremely smart at the age of sixteen"

"Impressive. He is your son, after all," Natsu said, leaning back.

"No, Natsu, he's not my son. He's Juvia's," Lucy raised an eyebrow as she looked at him, but he didn't look her in the eyes "You know that. Why did you say―?"

"Because he is your son," Natsu finished for her, still overlooking the Magnolia terrain "You're the one who raised him, so you are his mother, and Gray is his father. The same goes for Summer"

"But . . . Natsu . . ." Lucy whispered. She could practically hear his heart breaking when he said his words. She'd always believed that Summer was her daughter, and that Koran was her son in spirit. And she always wanted to believe that Natsu would always be Summer's father; but now, even Natsu was admitting to that lie.

"It's true, the sooner I accept that, the better," Natsu gave a small, sad smile "But enough about all this depressing stuff. I didn't come here to talking about sad stuff; I came here to see you"

Lucy laughed, then took his face in her hands and kissed him, right on the mouth. His hands went around her waist, her arms wrapping around his neck. Kisses like this were another reason to look forward to his visits. And another reason why she wished he would stay here forever.

Natsu stayed with her that night, holding her while she slept in his arms. She felt the warmth of his skin, his breath on her hair and neck. And she loved every bit of it; trying to keep in memory every little action as she rested her head on the crook of his neck.

But by morning, he was gone. Like always.

As Lucy felt the warmth of the sun's rays on her back, her brown eyes fluttered open. Only to find herself alone in an empty bed, the covers left perfect. Almost as if nothing happened at all.

But she could never just imagine a visit from Natsu, for her dreams were never anything close to the real thing. He'd come and gone so many times, she could now tell the difference from when he came and when she dreamt he came. It was sad, and almost pathetic.

Not bothering to get up, Lucy's hand reached out, seeking warmth in a bed that felt so cold and lonely in his absence. She sighed after finding none, sitting up in her bed and stretching out her arms.

"Queen Lucy!" Virgo, a palace servant, exclaimed while knocking on her door "Breakfast is prepared in the courtyard!"

"I'll be there," Lucy called, getting dressed. Breakfast in the courtyard usually meant that the day outside was wonderful, sunny, and warm. Even with the balcony and many windows, Lucy hadn't noticed. She'd been too busy thinking about Natsu.

She was to go down to the courtyard, to laugh and eat with her "family". Her completely screwed up family who had children who weren't her children, and husband that wasn't quite her husband. But it was her family, no less, and she loved them all the same, even Gray. She only had three loyalties tied to her in life: and the first was her family. The second was her kingdom.

And the third was Natsu.

No matter if he was here or not, some part of her would always belong to him.

(〃⌒▽⌒)八(〃⌒▽⌒〃)八(⌒▽⌒〃)

_**Chapter two is up! I know I made this sound like a two-shot, but this ISN'T a two-shot. It'll be a full-fledged story, I promise. **_

_**Like it, Love it, Hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!,**_

_**Ninja **_


	3. the Fateful Encounter

_**Sorry this took a while, guys. School started this week, and I needed to really start thinking about this fic. I'm hoping it can get as popular as its processor! **_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail. **_

_**~ * ~ * 3 ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ * the Fateful Encounter ~ * ~ *  
**_

"I can't believe they left me stuck with him," Kōri grumbled, crossing her arms and leaning back on her chair. Seth shivered; her words were frozen in ice and sent a chill down his spine. Everything about this woman reminded him of ice and blizzards.

"Uh, ma'am?" Seth called from the back of the wagon "I can hear you"

Kōri turned halfway, then shrugged and turned to face forward again "Sorry". Seth swallowed; even though he doubted she meant to offend him, her tone was still icy.

"Where are Natsu-Sama and Gajeel-Sama?" Seth asked, jumping to the driver's seat of the cart so he could sit next to Kōri.

"Out," Kōri answered "Gajeel went to see his wife, and Natsu went to see an old friend of his"

"Gajeel-Sama is married?" Seth's eyes widened. Yes, he liked Gajeel enough, but he seemed like the solitary, tough-as-nails type of guy who denied anything close to emotion.

Kōri smirked "Yeah, it was a shock on all of us. But I got to be a bride's maid, so the shock didn't have its effect on me for very long"

"Was the wedding nice?" Seth asked.

"It was very beautiful, since Gajeel didn't have a part in its planning or design," Kōri smiled "That was all his wife and some of the other girls doing. I sort of zoned out of the planning, so none of it was because of me, I'm ashamed to say"

"I wish I could've been there, Kōri-Sama," Seth sighed. Kōri smiled at the teenager, then reached to the back and pulled out a few pieces of paper out of her bag. She handed them to Seth, and his eyes widened.

"_Paintings_?" Seth asked "How?"

"The maid of honor knew an amazing painter, a good friend of hers named Reedus," Kōri smiled "He could make amazing paintings in minutes, even while we were moving around"

The ends of Seth's mouth tugged into a smile as he looked over the paintings. They were as amazing as Kōri said; so life-like that he half-expected the tiny people to move and talk, to jump right off the parchment.

The first painting looked like a slice right out of life. There was a petite young woman in a wedding dress, with a veil pulled out of her face. She was pretty, in a delicate sort of way, with bright blue hair and hazel eyes that shined. She was smiling and laughing, and looked truly happy.

But the bride wasn't the only one in the painting. There was someone in the background, who couldn't have been anyone but a younger Kōri, who was having her hair braided by a young woman with short-cropped white hair. Younger-Kōri's hair was the same color as it was now, but it seemed to be _much_ longer. In its looseness, it seemed long enough to reach her ankles. Seth could tell even though her hair was getting braided in the painting.

Laughing with the bride was a beautiful woman in a crown. She had sunlight blonde hair and porcelain features, eyes closed as she and the bride fawned over who-knows-what.

There were four other women in the background. There was one with scarlet locks who looked like she was the one trying to get things done. Another was a woman with longer white hair who was bawling her eyes out. There was a shy-looking blue haired woman who was politely sitting and most likely complimenting the bride on her dress. And lastly (but one of the most noticeably) was a dark-haired woman calmly drinking what seemed to be wine.

"Who're they?" Seth asked, pointing to the picture.

"Oh, that in the wedding dress is Gajeel's wife, Levy Redfox. She was Levy McGarden, back then" Kōri said, pointing to each individual on the painting "That's Cana Alberona; she was the biggest drinker in the palace. The redhead is General Erza Scarlett, I don't know if she's still general, but she was then. That's me, the one braiding my hair is Lisanna Strauss, and the crying girl is Lisanna's sister, Mirajane Strauss. That blue haired girl is Juvia Lockser, and the blonde woman next to Levy is Queen Lucy Heartfilia"

"The _queen_ attended her wedding?" Seth asked; his eyes wide.

"Levy was a noble, she and Lucy were very close," Kōri said.

Seth was a bit surprised at the appearance of Gajeel's wife. Yes, she was pretty enough, very pretty. But he expected for Gajeel's love interest to be some tough-as-nails girl who could keep up with his tough guy attitude. But maybe fire couldn't be met with fire. Maybe it needed to be met with something calmer, smarter, to keep it calm and contained so it wouldn't destroy the universe.

Seth looked to the rest of the paintings, and found it getting even harder to believe that these were done in minutes. There was the wedding ceremony (_nice tux, Gajeel_ Seth thought with a snicker. He needed to say that to Gajeel at some point), the final kiss, tears, the reception, a toast, tears, dancing, other couples, and more tears. It seemed that someone was crying in each picture. Especially a pair of strange-looking men that were always in the background (Kōri said their names were Jet and Droy. Were they perhaps related to Levy-San?)

"I feel like I've been there in person," Seth sighed "I mean . . . they're so realistic". Kōri nodded in response, taking the paintings from him and putting them back in her bag. For some reason, she seemed a bit sad. As if she wanted to be somewhere else.

"Kōri-Sama . . . you said that Natsu-Sama and Gajeel-Sama are out meeting people," Seth asked "Is there someone you want to see?"

Kōri hesitated, then nodded "An old friend"

"Why can't you go see them?" Seth asked.

"_Him_," Kōri answered, "And I have to watch you"

Seth began to get an idea of what kind of _friend _she was talking about. But he was mad that she was referring to him like a child needing supervision "I'm fifth teen! I can watch myself; you go and see this guy"

Kōri hesitated, and then looked to him "You promise you won't leave the cart?"

"I swear"

"Good, I'll be going" Kōri leapt down with the agility of a cat, giving him the 'I'm-watching-you' signal before taking off. She was extremely fast, and was gone into the night after a matter of minutes.

Seth never knew how easy it was to get bored until now. When he was living with Katja, she constantly threw chores at him so he could be disciplined. By all the times he had to walk Nico, that dog should be more his that Katja's. But Nico still loved Katja more.

He'd gone through nearly everything in the cart before he decided that he had absolutely nothing to do. Seth sighed, settling back in the front seat of the cart. The night was oddly quiet, not a single interesting thing was going on. And who knows how long Natsu, Gajeel, and Kōri will be.

Seth paused when he saw a glimmer of light in the courtyard of the palace. The enhanced sight of his right eye could make out nearly nothing in the darkness, but the glimmer was definitely fire. The scent of something burning filled his nostrils, as Seth decided to go see what exactly was going on.

Seth nimbly climbed over the gate (which was about twelve feet high, he might add), landing behind a bush. The fall had left his ankle hurting a little, but he shook it off and kept going.

Once he got closer, and once his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he could make out a human figure. They drew back an arrow, quickly lighting the arrow on fire before they shot.

In the light of the fire, Seth could make out the figure's features. It was a girl, with long sunlight blonde hair and onyx eyes. She looked a lot like the younger version of Queen Lucy, the one that he had seen in the painting. But the air to this girl was much tougher, almost scary, but more like a hero in a storybook. Like . . . like Joan of Arc. And she was gorgeous, exceptionally beautiful in the most heroic way he'd ever seen.

Quickly, with reflexes so fast his eyes could just barely see them; the girl turned and fired an arrow at _him_. Before he could even react, the arrow pierced the sleeve of his shirt, sending him flying backwards. The arrow lodged itself in the stone wall, pinning Seth like a butterfly.

The girl walked forward "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here? I think you know why my family does to trespassers, especially at this time of night"

"Jesus, lady, I'm sorry!" Seth exclaimed, trying to yank out the arrow "I just saw fire and followed it. I don't think anyone would have liked it if the palace was burned to ashes"

"How would you have been able to see the fire, genius?" the girl snapped "The wall's twelve feet high, and I'm all the way out here. You'd have to climb the wall and walk about three yards to see the fire in the first place"

Seth hesitated. Was that true? It seemed so close, and Seth had only noticed the wall when he had to climb over it. As for walking to her, it seemed like only a few steps before she attacked him with her arrows. When his father had visited him, he said that he was demon. Were these some demon sixth-senses that he was having?

"Sorry," Seth repeated "I climbed the wall just to see if I could, I was being stupid. And I was right here, so I saw the fire and wondered what was going on. I didn't think you'd see me"

"Well, you were wrong," the girl sighed, gripping the arrow and yanking it out. Seth tumbled to the ground, landing on his knees. "You're free to go. And you better go quickly; if my dad sees you, we're both dead"

"You've got daddy issues, too?" Seth asked, dusting himself off.

"Yeah, my dad wants me to be a proper lady," the girl scoffed, crossing her arms "He doesn't mind it if I practice shooting, but he'll always criticize me until I go find something else to do"

"No offence," Seth smirked "But I don't even know your name and I honestly doubt you'll _ever_ be a proper lady"

Much to his surprise, the girl laughed "I know! Why can't anyone else see that? Anyway, you have daddy issues, too?"

"Yeah, my dad wants me to do all the things he couldn't do in his youth," Seth said. That was sort of the truth; Akujin never did get his vengeance when he was alive.

"That's gotta suck," the girl smirked "What are you doing in Magnolia? Is your dad here with you?"

"No, I'm traveling by myself," Seth said, then shrugged "Well, I _was_ before I met Gajeel-Sama, Natsu-Sama, and Kōri-Sama"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the girl's eyes widened "I don't know who Natsu or Kōri are, but Gajeel's my uncle! Sort of, not really, I just call him and Aunt Levy my aunt and uncle. Since I don't have any real aunts or uncles"

"Really?" Seth smiled, "Small world. Anyways, I have to get going, before they come back and I'm not there"

"Yeah, sure" the girl shrugged "But . . . I'm Summer Fullbuster. Who are you?"

"I'm Seth Milkovich," Seth smiled, and then ran off. He quickly climbed over the wall and made his way back to the cart.

_Summer_ . . . she didn't leave his mind. Whenever he so much as thought of her name, his heart pounded in his ears and his stomach knotted. He didn't exactly know why, but he knew he wanted to see her again.

And he knew she wouldn't be leaving his thoughts any time soon.

(-.-)-(-.0)-(-.-)

_**No comments, I'm sorry this took so long and that it was literally filled with O.C. characters. But it was important and the last chapter was literally gushing with NaLu fluffiness, so don't complain too much, ok?**_

_**Like it, Love it, Hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!,**_

_**Ninja **_


	4. Heart of Stone

_**I'm sorry that these chapters are taking so long! I'm writing another story along with this one, so my attention is divided. I'm seriously sorry, I'll try to update this more often!**_

_**I won't delay this more than I already have, I don't own Fairy Tail. **_

_**~ * ~ * 4 ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ * Heart of Stone ~ * ~ ***_

Koran Fullbuster was considered many things, and two of which was a pessimist and a skeptic. He saw everything as a potential threat, and would keep a close eye on anything considered more so. And at the top of his list of threats was his younger sister, Summer.

It was all because of her stupid arrows. Just because she can shoot a piece of pointy wood from another piece of wood, she thinks she's all that. She was always strutting along the castle like she owns the place. Koran hated it when she tried to impress their parents with that 'flame arrow' trick of hers.

But Koran held one advantage over her: magic. They both practiced it, they practiced twice or thrice a week. But Summer was hardly interested nor very _good_ at it. She can manipulate fire, she can control it, she had even _eaten _it, once (Lord knows how or why). But she can't create it. That was her weakness; the inability to produce fire, the lack of magic. For that reason, she relies on arrows for basically everything.

He and his sister were polar opposites. While he was night, she was day. He was water, she was fire. He was a reader, she was a fighter. While Koran was a calm, collected young man that made a good peacekeeper when needed; Summer was a fighting out-of-control manic with a set of arrows.

Koran woke up that next Saturday morning with his head on a desk. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, stretching out his arms and rubbing the back of his neck. He tried to straighten his posture; his back was _killing_ him. No matter how many times he fell asleep at a library desk, his reaction was the same in the morning.

"Ugh," Seth muttered, leaning back in his chair. He tried to pat down his hair, but it stayed the same. Like his father's, Koran's blue-black locks spiked out in all directions, refusing to stay put. Lucky for him, it acted in a way that looked cool and almost even professional.

Koran grunted in annoyance as he saw his sister enter the library. He doubted she even knew _how_ to read, so she most likely just came to annoy him. His suspicion that she'd come only to get on his nerves rose as she sat next to him, glancing over his shoulder.

"What're you doing, Nii-San?" Summer asked.

"Reading," Koran answered.

"About what?" Summer prodded.

"Stuff," Koran grunted.

"What kind of stuff?"

"Important stuff,"

"What kind of important stuff?"

"Important stuff you wouldn't understand"

"Try me"

"Is there any productive reason why you're here, _Imōto_?"

"I knew you'd be here," Summer smiled, "Is it a crime for a girl to want to say good morning to her Nii-Chan?"

"Yes, when _you're _the little sister calling me _Nii-Chan_," Koran raised an eyebrow "What do you want, Summer?"

"Ugh! Fine," Summer rolled her eyes "I could have been nice to you, but no-o! Anyway, I met this guy yesterday, and―"

"_Guy_?!" Koran exclaimed, abruptly standing up to eye his little sister "What guy have you been seeing,_ Imōto_?"

"It was only once, yesterday," Summer said, taking a step backwards. The look in Koran's eyes said that he was prepared to hunt down and strangle any _guy_ who was seeing his sister. "And I'm a bit worried. I've been anywhere and I've never seen him around"

"Did you catch his name?" Koran asked.

"Yeah . . . Seth, Seth Milkovich," Summer answered "Sound familiar"

"Well . . . I don't know, I only know about the Magnolia citizens," Koran answered, looking through his many books, "And I can honestly say that I've never heard of a Seth Milkovich living in Magnolia. Maybe he lived in one of the outer times of Fiore?"

"Maybe," Summer said, biting her bottom lip "maybe"

(^^)-(^^)-(^^)-(^^)-(^^)

There were very few times where Gajeel got to see his wife, but whenever he did, it was like moments in heaven. She was the same, petite woman that he had fallen in love with, beautiful in a rather porcelain way. But to Gajeel, Levy's face was that of perfection.

The couple walked through the gardens, linked arm-in-arm. She rested her head on his arm, watching the butterflies flutter past in colors of orange, black, blue, and all the colors of the rainbow.

"I'm so glad you're back," Levy smiled at her husband "Victoria's been missing you like crazy, I should say"

Victoria Redfox was Gajeel's daughter, and one and only child. He figured since he always won, it fit to name his daughter a name that meant 'victory'. Victoria was like Levy in size, petite in a way that looked a bit porcelain, and she absolutely hated that fact. In spirit, she was as big and tough as her father, and once she'd punched a tree trunk so hard her hand went right through it, and the poor thing had fallen over. With her almost 'unnatural' strength, it only made sense for her to get mad when Summer says that she's both "younger and taller" than her.

"I missed her like crazy, too," Gajeel smirked "I missed you too, you know" he reached under his shirt and pulled out the medallion, the necklace she'd given him when he first left, many years ago. He never took it off, he kept it close to his heart; kept a piece of her close to his heart.

Levy's eyes widened, but she smiled "You kept it. I forgot I even gave that to you . . . . You're amazing, Gajeel"

"Tell me something I don't know," Gajeel gave a smile only she would see, for he hardly ever smiled. But if she wanted him to smile, he would gladly do it for her.

Levy laughed, her laughter sounding like that of tiny bells; he loved her laugh. He loved everything about her: her blue hair, her delicate skin, her hazel eyes and dazzling smile. She was the kindest woman anyone could ever meet, and the smartest, too. Gajeel could have written a book about all the things he loved about Levy, about how amazing and perfect she was to him.

"I wish you didn't have to leave," Levy sighed, "You have a family, Gajeel, you have a home here. What am I supposed to tell Victoria? I'm running out of excuses for you leaving too much"

"I know, Levy, but . . . we're not done, not yet," Gajeel sighed "We have lots of work to do, lots of those psycho Holy Servants still wandering around Fiore. We can't let there be a third Fiore Wildfire, and while they're still out there, that door is wide open"

"But what about Vic―?"

"Tell her the truth,"

Levy turned to her husband "_Gajeel_!"

"I'm serious," Gajeel said "Victoria is my daughter, she's half iron dragon. She'll be able to take it, and she should be honored. I would be if my father did something like that for my nation. Not that I'm bragging or anything"

"Of course you're not," Levy said with a roll of her eyes.

"I am not!" Gajeel exclaimed, and then calmed himself "Whatever. We can talk about Victoria later; let's enjoy the time we have together while it lasts"

Levy didn't answer in words, but she answered in a wordless way that was much better for Gajeel. She stood up on her tiptoes, resting her hands on his chest and kissing him, right on the lips.

If anyone asked him how it went later, Gajeel would deny all feelings of emotion. Around Natsu and Kōri, he'd carry his signature snarl and sneer; his red eyes would hold all looks of disproval and seriousness. If either of his partners asked, he would respond 'it was ok' or 'yeah, it was fun'. He was different around Levy, but only around her. No one would be able to sense that his heart wasn't made out of stone; it'd be hard, almost impossible, to see that he even had a heart.

But there was proof that Gajeel Redfox wasn't made entirely out of stone. For when he left Levy that day, he was smiling.

(≧∇≦)/ (´

ﾉ｀*)ノ （・◇・）

_**So, for the first time in this story, I finally included some GaLe. I know I left the epilogue of 'Stained' on loose ends, I realized too late that I forgot to include them, since I was distracted by explaining Koran and Summer to you guys in a descriptive way in one chapter. So I hope this makes up for that, and I hope that Gajeel was in character. That was really hard for me . . .**_

_** And by the way, maybe you've noticed that Koran calls Summer 'Imōto' in this chapter. It's Japanese for 'sister' or 'little sister', in case you were wondering. **_

_**Like it, Love it, Hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!,**_

_**Ninja **_


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